Bounded
by sunkissedsmiles
Summary: When a new Marriage Law is set up, Hermione's bounded to her old enemy. (sorry the story's so short!)


The Wizarding community gathered noisily at the Malfoy Manor to witness the strangest sight. There was no joy, no voices of approval and certainly no wedding bells. It was the strangest sight. Hermione placed her veil over her pale tender face, worn out from the days of uncertainty and drama. Everything was rushing back to her: The War, Ron's death, the New Marriage Law, and her new husband-to-be.

There he was. He looked particularly handsome today, donning an elegant suit made out of the finest silk, and he wore shoes made out of Dragon Hide. Hermione dreaded every step that she took to the altar, gripping her white dress with fear and uncertainty. Was this a new beginning, or a new age of torment and hell?

Everyone clapped solemnly as he slipped the ring onto her finger. Draco looked at her eyes, his expression cold and withdrawn. Hermione kissed his cheek without feeling, and the pair strode down upon the assembly, thanking everyone for witnessing the event.

Harry was there amongst the audience. So were the Weasley's and her dearest friends. They bade her with well wishes and words of comfort, yet Hermione could not draw any comfort from them. She was going on this path alone.

She remembered that hateful letter. It had come to her on the 21st of April in the middle of summer in an elegant letter. It was from the Ministry, telling her a new law was in place. That had spiraled her life into a sea of change. It was at the communities' best interests, but Hermione didn't see how that could help her, or him for that matter. She remembered all the times he mocked her, and those moments that they had quarreled bitterly in Hogwarts. Those times Ron was with her, and he had walked the path with her. Things change it seemed.

The Malfoy Manor was as cold as she remembered. It stood proud and tall with its ageless white walls and the windows that always stayed shut. The gates opened as they strode in, welcoming a cold gust of air. The place spooked her. She didn't like any of it. It looked as though she was walking into a prison, with its iron bars and the windows that never opened. A tall plate stood at the front door, with words that said: "The Honorable House of Malfoy". Hermione didn't see anything "honorable" about it.

The first night was tense. It always was. Hermione stood awkwardly by the bedside, clutching to her nightdress with unease. Draco likewise, stood beside the bed opposite her, peering at her with a rather spooked expression in his eyes. It seemed wrong. Everything about this seemed wrong. What were they getting into? They hadn't talked much since the Wedding and the journey back home. There was no chatter between them. All that was between them was a loud, impenetrable silence. Uncomfortable silence.

Hermione didn't move. Neither did he. The air cackled with unease, like upon the edge of a knife. Finally Draco breathed, "Do you… Do you think it would be better if I just, slept on the floor today?" Hermione quickly nodded in agreement, and with a summon of her wand an old mattress flew up to the bedroom, and Draco flopped on it within a flash, turning his back towards her as he did. The night was silent again.

Days passed, and the pair still didn't talk much. The house was eerily silent and empty, ever since Draco's parents moved away to hide away from the Ministry. They had disappeared from Draco's life altogether, and Draco had missed their company. Hermione had decided to make breakfast every single morning before they set off to work, as it was an old custom of hers. She made blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, thick and chunky just the way he liked it. Along with it she would fry some strips of bacon with eggs, and they'd eat together in the colossal dining room. The table was huge. It could have contained enough food for a whole banquet, yet it looked sorely empty with only 2 occupants dining on it.

Draco looked surprised when she saw the plates of food that morning. He gazed at it without expression, but he ate without complaint. With a swish of his cloak, he bade her goodbye and was gone for the day.

Hermione worked at the Ministry itself, where she had found her work most enjoyable. She told herself to enjoy it even more, and she pledged to work overtime to avoid the tense awkwardness in her new home. Luna was her friend at work, and while Luna gabbled about dinner parties, the noise at her house, and Crumpled Hornshacks, Hermione told her about the lack of dinner parties, the soundless house and the creepy Manor. Luna sympathized with her, and even invited her for dinner. Hermione told her she'd best be home for the day.

Draco came home extremely late, usually just as Hermione was about to turn in for the night. She didn't like how they didn't speaking at all, besides asking who was to wash the dishes, or who was to do this and that. She barely saw him at home anyway, and she didn't want to. He always wore that mixture of contempt and loss when he saw her, and Hermione didn't like it any bit.

Draco often came home reeking of someone who drank too much Fire Whiskey, and she angrily told him off. He shunned her and went to sleep in another room. Hermione had no problem with that at all. His clothes were in disarray, his hair was tousled and in a mess, his shirt all crumpled and dirty. Hermione was ashamed of being associated with him, and she made him promise he would stop drinking. He didn't.

They'd dine separately on usual days. Hermione found her place at the Burrow, where there was always talk and fun. She envied how Ginny was happy and together with Harry, and the house was full of laughter and food. Harry had invited her to stay with them at the Burrow with the rest, and she had almost agreed. She then stayed over for a few days, and then Draco had come marching up to her and demanding she come home back to him. Her mind was surprised. Why did he even want her around anyway?

On a rare occasion Draco decided to come home early one day. Hermione was utterly surprised when she saw him, and she had no dinner prepared. Hermione then suggested going out for dinner. He silently nodded his head and agreed.

Over steaming bowls of rabbit stew and Butter Beer, the pair then began to talk for the first time. Hermione was in disbelief when he started speaking to her, just like an old friend. He shared with her some things at work, about Gringotts and the grumpy Goblins, and she began to share a little about her work too. Draco somehow steered to the topic of their Hogwarts days, which Hermione found really interesting.

"Didn't you know why I hated you all so much? Did you know why I looked upon you three with so much contempt?" he had asked.

She shook her head. She told him, "I thought you were just mean. I didn't think you'd had a reason."

"I didn't like how you guys were happy. How you guys could be together, how you all boasted about the Burrow. With a family, and a home. I didn't have any of that. Not even a friend."

Hermione was stunned for words.

From then on, Hermione told him to come home for dinner every night. And so Draco did. Things were still awkward between them, and the home was very much a silent place. Hermione protested about the House Elf in the house, yet Draco told her he needed the Elf to help them manage the house. Hermione pleaded, yet he didn't get rid of it. She got cross with him again.

Hermione visited Ron's grave again a month later. The gravestone was still smooth and timeless the last time she had visited it. Draco wasn't with her. Hermione placed roses there, the tears pouring down her cheeks. Things were not the same without it, and she missed him badly. How could he leave her like this? Why did he have to die in the War? Hermione often questioned with a whisper, her eyes looking up the sky in hope to think of an answer. Nothing came.

Soon after, it was Draco's 25th birthday. Hermione had made him a scarf conjured from silver and green yarn, and when she presented it to him, his eyes had shone disbelief when he saw the gift. He walked slowly to her, looking at the box presented to him.

"What's this?" he had queried with a tinge of curiosity in his voice.

"Happy Birthday Draco. I hope you like it," Hermione said sincerely, opening the lid and showing its contents.

Draco slowly picked the scarf up, looking at it with such emotion in his eyes. Hermione got worried when he didn't say anything, and her voice had trembled, "If you don't like it, I could buy something or…"

"No. I want it. It's perfect," he replied suddenly, a faint smile appearing on his lips. The first smile he had worn since they were together. Hermione was amazed, but before she could reply he turned away from her. He gripped the scarf tightly, tears welling up in his eyes.

"This is the first ever birthday present I have gotten, that wasn't from my parents," he rasped, before leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Months had passed since they were married. Ever since his birthday, Draco had been more willing to be with her at home for dinner. Hermione had learned more about him, what he liked to eat and what his hobbies were, and she was surprised that he too, liked to read.

"I do like to read. It opens up more things for you I guess," he told her as she found him reading in the old Malfoy library. It was a huge place that was found underground, secretly hidden so that no one who ever visited would ever find out he liked books. Hermione had wanted to read the family archives in there, but Draco grabbed the book from her and tossed it into the fire, saying, "I don't want to remember such things."

He began to open up to her more, and Hermione was amazed at how lonely his childhood was. "I never saw my Dad. He was always in the Study, or being a Death Eater. He didn't really care. Not at all."

"Didn't he come home for Christmas? Thanksgiving? Something?"

"No. Not at all."

Hermione began to tell Luna more positive things that happened in her house now. Luna was having her first child, and yet for Hermione it was still the beginning of a very strange relationship. Luna was elated to find out they had become closer, yet when she asked to come over, Hermione hastily declined. " I don't think he fancies visitors," she told Luna with a strained voice.

One night, Hermione was packing up her things and getting ready for bed, when Draco strode in with a bolster in his hands. He was wearing a casual shirt, and it was slightly lopsided. He looked completely relaxed, and Hermione had been surprised. She sputtered, "What… What are you doing here?" They had been sleeping in separate rooms for months, and here he was, striding into her room like a welcome visitor.

He stared at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes, and then flopped onto the bed without waiting for her reply. Hermione was scared, and she found herself poised at the very edge of the bed, her body tensed up and afraid. How can this be? Hadn't they been strangers for months now? She could hear his breathing as he went off to sleep. How strange it was indeed!

Hermione found the strangest sight in the morning. Her workplace was piled with her usual documents and work, yet a single yellow rose was planted there, with a beautiful vase. She asked everyone where it had come from, and they merely muttered that a pale blonde man had come striding in to deliver a vase. Hermione couldn't concentrate at work the whole morning, much to Luna's amusement.

Hermione had spent her lunch hour with Ginny that very day. Ginny was extremely curious about Hermione's life at home, and yet Hermione said it was dreadfully dull and boring. Yet when Ginny teased her about the rose that morning, Hermione had nothing to say. It seemed that Luna had spread the word.

When Hermione went home that day, she found Draco standing at the porch of the house, still in a suit and his things. He greeted her the minute she appeared, and his voice sounded, "Did you receive it?"

Hermione's face went flushed. She nodded, looking down at his shoes. Draco's face was unreadable, yet something in him shifted for the good. Hermione thanked him again, and for the first time ever Draco agreed to visit Ron's grave with her.

It was a third time at the grave since they were married. And this was the first time she had a companion. A very unlikely companion it seemed. She had shown to him where the grave was, and they stood there, side by side, at the grave. The air was chilly and the grave looked so sad and lonely there. Hermione had whispered to Draco in a strained voice, "I still miss him."

Draco didn't say a word. Yet his hand slowly, and fearfully found hers. Hermione's brain fizzled at the contact, and he too seemed tensed up. But he held her hand and squeezed it slightly. Hermione squeezed back.

A whole year passed and their relationship was roughly stuck at this standpoint. Hermione had returned home from work one day to find the house empty again, and a hastily written letter that told her that Draco had went away for a trip. He claimed it was for Gringotts, yet she found the letter all the more unbelievable. She threw the letter away, and found herself sorely lonely. She then visited the Burrow again that night.

"Where did he go? For how long?" Ginny had asked with a worried voice when Hermione had spilled the beans on what happened. Hermione had decided to stay over with them for a few days, and she again found her solace there.

One fine day, a letter came soaring over to her from the window, and it had an unfamiliar handwriting. Who was it from?

Hermione had opened the letter at the breakfast table that day, and to her amazement there were words that said:

"Come home. I want you here."

Hermione gasped and showed the letter to the rest of her friends. Within a jiffy, everything was packed and the Weasley's quickly told her to go home. It wasn't everyday that Draco missed someone at all.

"Thank you so much," Hermione had told the rest before vanishing back to the Manor with the touch of Floo Powder. She saw Draco standing there again, waiting for her. He looked tired and haggard, and she felt an urge to run up to him and ask what had happened. She controlled herself not to.

"What happened?" she had merely asked, taking his suitcase and coat as he strode into the house.

"I just miss you, that's all," he stated, and he gave her a parcel. In it lay a beautiful looking ring. Hermione was overcome with emotion, and she took it with shaking hands. It wasn't a cheap ring. It was emerald green, with a white crystal in the middle. What did this mean?

"Thank you," she breathed, and she slipped on the ring without waiting.

Hermione wanted the Manor to be changed so badly. When Draco was in a good mood, she had told him that they should change the house. Draco was unwilling, asking her, "Is it really necessary?"

Hermione then took her hands in his, saying, "I want this to mean a new start. A new home, a new us."

Draco then pondered, and after a considerable amount of time he agreed. He let her choose her favorite shade of purple for the room; he let her open the windows to let in fresh air. She changed the dreary curtains, and the whitewashed halls. She began to change the furniture, replacing the old vintage seats for fresh new ones. She made the library more organized and decided to make the carpet an emerald green. When she let Draco see the design, he was speechless and said, "I barely recognize my own house."

For Draco's 26th birthday they had decided to head to Diagon Alley together. They had walked around the shops, and Draco wasn't used to it at all. He asked, "Is this what you do on birthdays? Is this what it's supposed to be like?"

Hermione smiled, and pulled him along to see the Quidditch supplies. She knew Draco was into it. She saw his walls full of Quidditch supplies, even the Chudley Canons that Ron was so crazy about that time. She saw the Quidditch supplies, and all the works. But he needed a new broom. He hadn't rode on in years, and Hermione knew the best present to get for him.

"Say hello to your new broom," she stated proudly when she bought the latest one for a handsome sum of Galleons. He had protested that it was unreasonable and too good a present, but she had merely handed it to him. She could tell he was excited, she knew he was.

They had paid a visit to George for the next stop. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was thriving these few days even when George was the lone owner. Hermione had introduced Draco to all the wacky inventions of the twins, and George, though still very uncertain about Draco, had welcomed them along. George had stiffly stuck out a hand to greet him, and to his surprise Draco greeted him with a smile.

Draco exited the shop carrying the fake wands, Ton-Tongue Toffee even Vanishing Powder. Hermione found out later that Draco used the toffee on one of the goblins at the bank, much to George's delight. "What did you do to him Hermione?" George had asked in surprise before Hermione had left the shop.

Hermione had celebrated her own birthday in a different fashion. She had a party at the Burrow, with Luna and Neville invited as well, but this year, she proclaimed, Draco was going to come as well. Everyone was scared an uneasy, so was Draco. " Don't think the Weasley's will even stand a sight of me at the door," he had told Hermione.

Hermione finally coaxed him to visit, and the dinner table was full of food and laughter. Draco was silent and awkward at the side, but he had stuck out a hand to greet Harry when they entered the front porch. A tense air had then broken between them after Draco had called his name, for the first time ever.

Draco ate politely, and silently through the dinner. He didn't talk much to anyone, and neither did the rest really speak to him. Hermione was having too much fun giggling with Ginny and eating merrily to notice, but when Draco had pulled her aside and told her he wanted to leave, she held his hand and told him that he should continue trying.

Draco relented and they had a cake cutting ceremony at midnight. It was a glorious cake, full of candles and lovely dollops of cream splattered on the sides of the cake. As Hermione blew the candles and everyone cheered, Draco saw how they all seemed like a family, and he envied for they were happy, how they were together. They were poor, but they had something with them. He had nothing.

Just as Draco had made up his mind to leave, Hermione had then suddenly spoke, "And… For my birthday I also want to thank Draco for being with me all this time." Draco turned and looked at her, and the rest of the Weasley's looked at him in a different light for the first time. He walked up to Hermione slowly, and Harry had given him a light pat as he walked by. "Welcome to the family mate," he had stated with a serious tone in his voice, and the rest had clapped and cheered.

Draco didn't know what to say when they left the house together. He had a family again.

Hermione had a bad time during September, when Crookshanks had finally died and passed away. She had sobbed and cried and buried the body just outside the porch, and Draco saw her miserable and unhappy for the few days. When he offered to buy her another pet, she shook her head violently and wailed, "There's no other cat like Crookshanks!"

Hermione never cried in front of him before. She didn't want to, or dare to for that matter. She thought that he would despise her for it, and even taunt her. But she didn't control it now. The tears flew freely from her eyes, and she expected Draco to walk away and leave her alone. Yet she found him crouching beside her, at the garden, peering at her with his grey eyes. Hermione looked closely at them for the first time, and she didn't see the contempt he had for her when they first got married.

Slowly he took her face in her hands, and she trembled at how close he was. She couldn't help but see all of this as a dream, and Draco had leaned in closer and gave her a kiss. Right there, in their garden. He pressed against her, and closed his eyes, and she did the same. It was unlike anything she had experienced. Fireworks exploded in her head, and her lips were burning and it felt wet and warm. What emotion was this? Was it happiness? Joy? Fear? It seemed so unreal, and she too closed her eyes. They stayed like this for ages, and when she pulled back, she finally understood what her feelings meant. "I don't regret knowing you now," she whispered into her ear, and her hand wound around his.

Sudden news from the Daily Prophet had shocked the community once again. The Ministry had distributed a notice to everyone and Hermione had feared on what it was. Was it another letter that changed their future? She didn't want something similar again.

When she tore the package open, she was stunned. The marriage law was abolished, due to the problems caused by the unhappy citizens that, like her, were thrown into an unlikely pairing. She was shivering as she held the letter in her hands. What did this mean? She could have her old life back?

Draco walked in and saw her holding the piece of parchment, with a rather bewildered expression in her eyes. Snatching the letter from her, he read the letter's contents, and his face grew grim.

Casting the letter on the floor, he searched Hermione's face for a reply. Hermione had turned to him with a dazed expression in her eyes, and she muttered, "So… It's over? The law is off?" She sounded a little hopeful even, and that expression of hers stung him. Hermione was confused now. Her "hell" had ended? But was it even a burden anymore? What did she feel? But she was finally free.

Draco had remained silent, waiting for a response. Hermione shivered, with flashbacks of her time with the Weasley's and her Muggle Parents returning to her. She didn't need to live here anymore? Was this real?

"So this is it then?" Draco finally said, his voice cold and hard. Hermione had not replied, and with that he left her, slamming the door behind him.

Through these 5 years, Hermione had wished at certain points in time for the law to be abolished. She hoped and wished and prayed that it would end. And here it was, spelled out in blank daylight for her.

But times had changed… She had enjoyed Draco's company, and yet now, she was free to choose. She had freedom. But looking around at the Malfoy Manor, and everything that had happened, she felt confused again. What did she want now?

A few days past and Draco had hardly returned home. He was dreading the time where he came home to an empty house, afraid that Hermione would leave and go away. She could divorce him now. Yes she could.

Hermione sat upon the chair to think. She had grown to become nostalgic about the place, and she had even grown to appreciate Draco's presence. She was blurry between what she liked and what she yearned for. Her life was free for her to choose; yet now, what did she want?

She went into her room, and then saw another vase of fresh roses sitting by the bedside. She had felt new things. She felt new feelings, new emotions, and an unknown tenderness towards him. Grasping the ring in her fingers, she made up her mind.

Draco had returned home that evening, with heavy footsteps as he entered the door. The porch was strangely empty that night, and yet he saw lights streaming from the house. He was puzzled, and quickly strode up to the door and opened it. A huge party was being held there, with all of the Weasley's, Harry, Luna and more visitors being there. There was roast chicken piled up on the table, and heaping plates of potatoes with butter sauce. It was a feast for a king, and not a single party like this had ever taken place in this house.

He strode up to Hermione with a rather bewildered expression, and asked, "What… What is this?"

Hermione smiled, and she gently told him, "It's a party for us of course."

"Us?"

"I decided. I found my place here. With you."

Draco couldn't believe his ears, and he embraced her right in the middle of the hall, with everyone present.

It seemed, that the Law bound Hermione to him at that time, but now, she found herself bounded in a different way. She liked it this way.

"To us," she said, holding a toast of Butterbeer in the air. He smiled and did likewise.


End file.
